Cillian Murphy Reveals His Thoughts On A 28 Days Later Sequel

The 2002 horror film "28 Days Later" reinvigorated the zombie film genre. Instead of using rotting shamblers, the story introduced us to humans infected with a rage-inducing virus, transferable by any open wound or orifice. With a plot more realistic (and therefore terrifying) than the rise of the undead, "28 Days Later" was a hit. The $8 million budget film garnered $85 million worldwide (according to BoxOfficeMojo) and introduced Irish actor Cillian Murphy to American audiences.

Murphy has since become a staple in box office hits. He's appeared in Christopher Nolan's "Batman" franchise as the mad villain Scarecrow and as creepy Jackson Rippner in "Red Eye" alongside Rachel McAdams, and he's also the star of the hit Netflix show "Peaky Blinders."

Most recently, Murphy joined director, writer, and actor John Krasinski in the latest horror flick to hit theaters: "A Quiet Place II." Krasinski's sequel has been one of the most anticipated films of 2021. Originally set to release in 2020, the Netflix-backed project was one of the films to drastically delay its release after the COVID-19 pandemic shut down theaters across the globe. But given how he got his big break in "28 Days Later," Cillian Murphy shared his thoughts on a possible sequel to the film in a recent interview.

CinePOP recently inquired about the same thing many fans have been wondering for nearly two decades, asking Cillian Murphy if he would be interested in reprising the role of Jim for a sequel to "28 Days Later." In response, the actor said "I would never say never. I loved making that movie. It was a long time ago, it was like almost 20 years ago, you know? But sure, sure."

It's likely that Murphy is as much in the dark as audiences are in regard to the chances of a sequel getting released. In 2018, "28 Days Later" screenwriter Alex Garland told Reddit users he doubted there would ever be a sequel (via Screen Rant). The tide shifted again in 2019 when director Danny Boyle told The Independent that he and Garland "have a wonderful idea for the third part" and that it's "properly good." Prior to these bits of information, the last time we saw the zombie-infected population of Great Britain was in 2007. "28 Weeks Later", directed by Juan Carlos Fresnadillo, had modest success compared to its predecessor but was still backed by critics. The film continues to hold a solid 71 percent on Rotten Tomatoes.

Prior to hinting at the script, Boyle told The Independent that he saw "28 Days Later" as leading to "a bit of a resurgence in the zombie drama" during its initial 2002 release. It seems that with zombie films like Zack Snyder's "Army of the Dead" still bringing in audiences, the genre may see another resurgence almost 20 years later. Maybe we'll hear about new developments before the 28-year mark, which could also make a stunning sequel in our opinion.